Heinz Schubert (actor)
Encyclopedia
Heinz Schubert was a German
actor
, drama teacher and photographer
, best known for playing the role of Alfred Tetzlaff in the German television comedy sitcom Ein Herz und eine Seele
.
, the son of a master tailor. He went to drama school after his release from captivity as a prisoner of war
.
In 1951, Bertholt Brecht asked for him directly to join his Berliner Ensemble
, where Schubert remained until the Berlin Wall
was erected in 1961. From then on, Schubert worked in West Germany
in theatre (in Munich, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Berlin) and taught drama; he was awarded a professorship.
In 1958 Schubert also started to work in film, first for DEFA productions, playing the role of the Schweizerkas that he had been known for in the Berliner Ensemble in the film version of the Brecht drama. He also acted in fairy stories and the much-loved DEFA Das Stacheltier
series. From 1961, in the West, he also acted in television productions.
In 1973 Schubert was given a part which made him incredibly popular with the public, associating him with an image which he later did his best to escape from: the role of Ekel Alfred ("Foul Alfred") in the satirical ARD
television series Ein Herz und eine Seele
, written by Wolfgang Menge. The series was based on the British
series Til Death Us Do Part
by Johnny Speight
; the themes it brought up and the language it used put it in the headlines and drew a huge audience. Schubert played the German equivalent to Alf Garnett
or Archie Bunker
, a tyrannical bigot
, and appeared the part, with a hairstyle and mannerisms comparable to those used by German dictator Adolf Hitler
.
Schubert was capable of a wide range of roles, however, and proved this in his much-praised portrayal of Hadschi Halef Omar
in the 26-part ZDF
television series Kara Ben Nemsi
Effendi (1973/1975), based on the books of Karl May
, or his starring role in films such as Der starke Ferdinand and Hitler – Ein Film aus Deutschland, in which he played both Hitler
and Heinrich Himmler
. Schubert also acted alongside Michael Caine
in the British spy film Funeral in Berlin
.
As well as his film roles, Schubert acted in an increasing number of television series, playing the private detective Fetzer in Detektivbüro Roth
and Dr. Fink in the ZDF
film Der große Bellheim. In 1996 he once more played the main role in a Wolfgang Menge series, again based on an idea by Johnny Speight
, as Viktor Bölkhoff in Mit einem Bein im Grab. (One Foot in the Grave
.)
As well as his acting career, Schubert also loved photography. He is especially well-known for his many photographs of shop windows and mennequins; this work was on show at the documenta
6 in Kassel
in 1977. In 1979 he published a book of these photographs, Theater im Schaufenster ("Theatre in the Shop Window").
Heinz Schubert received several awards, including the Goldene Kamera (1993) and the Adolf Grimme Award (1994). He died of pneumonia
on 12 February 1999 in Hamburg
, where he had acted for many years.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, drama teacher and photographer
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, best known for playing the role of Alfred Tetzlaff in the German television comedy sitcom Ein Herz und eine Seele
Ein Herz und eine Seele
Ein Herz und eine Seele is a German sitcom aired in 1973/74 and 1976. It was essentially a remake of the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part by Johnny Speight, and was written by Wolfgang Menge....
.
Life
Schubert was born in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, the son of a master tailor. He went to drama school after his release from captivity as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
.
In 1951, Bertholt Brecht asked for him directly to join his Berliner Ensemble
Berliner Ensemble
The Berliner Ensemble is a German theatre company established by playwright Bertolt Brecht and his wife, Helene Weigel in January 1949 in East Berlin...
, where Schubert remained until the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
was erected in 1961. From then on, Schubert worked in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
in theatre (in Munich, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Berlin) and taught drama; he was awarded a professorship.
In 1958 Schubert also started to work in film, first for DEFA productions, playing the role of the Schweizerkas that he had been known for in the Berliner Ensemble in the film version of the Brecht drama. He also acted in fairy stories and the much-loved DEFA Das Stacheltier
Das Stacheltier
Das Stacheltier was a satirical series of short films that was produced by the East German DEFA Film Studios from 1953 to 1964. The short films were meant to be shown in film theaters preceding the newsreel and the main feature...
series. From 1961, in the West, he also acted in television productions.
In 1973 Schubert was given a part which made him incredibly popular with the public, associating him with an image which he later did his best to escape from: the role of Ekel Alfred ("Foul Alfred") in the satirical ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
television series Ein Herz und eine Seele
Ein Herz und eine Seele
Ein Herz und eine Seele is a German sitcom aired in 1973/74 and 1976. It was essentially a remake of the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part by Johnny Speight, and was written by Wolfgang Menge....
, written by Wolfgang Menge. The series was based on the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
series Til Death Us Do Part
Til Death Us Do Part
Till Death Us Do Part is a British television sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1965 to 1968, 1970, and from 1972 to 1975. First airing as a Comedy Playhouse pilot, the show aired in seven series until 1975. Six years later, ITV continued the sitcom, calling it Till Death......
by Johnny Speight
Johnny Speight
Johnny Speight , was a British television scriptwriter of many classic British sitcoms.He emerged in the mid 1950s. He wrote for the radio comics; Frankie Howerd, Vic Oliver, Arthur Askey, and Cyril Fletcher. For television he wrote for the Arthur Haynes Show, Morecambe & Wise, and Peter Sellers...
; the themes it brought up and the language it used put it in the headlines and drew a huge audience. Schubert played the German equivalent to Alf Garnett
Alf Garnett
Alf Garnett is a fictional character in the British sitcoms Till Death Us Do Part, Till Death... and In Sickness and in Health, and chat show The Thoughts of Chairman Alf. He was created by Johnny Speight and played by Warren Mitchell....
or Archie Bunker
Archie Bunker
Archibald "Archie" Bunker is a fictional New Yorker in the 1970s top-rated American television sitcom All in the Family and its spin-off Archie Bunker's Place, played to acclaim by Carroll O'Connor. Bunker is a veteran of World War II, reactionary, bigoted, conservative, blue-collar worker, and...
, a tyrannical bigot
Bigotry
A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs...
, and appeared the part, with a hairstyle and mannerisms comparable to those used by German dictator Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
.
Schubert was capable of a wide range of roles, however, and proved this in his much-praised portrayal of Hadschi Halef Omar
Hadschi Halef Omar
Hadschi Halef Omar Ben Hadschi Abul Abbas Ibn Hadschi Dawud al Gossarah, literally hajji Halef Omar, son of hajji father-of-Abbas, son of hajji David al Gossarah, is one of Karl May's literary characters...
in the 26-part ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
television series Kara Ben Nemsi
Kara Ben Nemsi
Kara Ben Nemsi is a fictional character in the works of Karl May, best-selling 19th century German writer...
Effendi (1973/1975), based on the books of Karl May
Karl May
Karl Friedrich May was a popular German writer, noted mainly for adventure novels set in the American Old West, and similar books set in the Orient and Middle East . In addition, he wrote stories set in his native Germany, in China and in South America...
, or his starring role in films such as Der starke Ferdinand and Hitler – Ein Film aus Deutschland, in which he played both Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
. Schubert also acted alongside Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
in the British spy film Funeral in Berlin
Funeral in Berlin (film)
Funeral in Berlin is a 1966 British spy film based on the novel Funeral in Berlin by Len Deighton. It is the second of three 1960s films starring Michael Caine that followed the characters from the initial film, The Ipcress File ...
.
As well as his film roles, Schubert acted in an increasing number of television series, playing the private detective Fetzer in Detektivbüro Roth
Detektivbüro Roth
Detektivbüro Roth is a German television series....
and Dr. Fink in the ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
film Der große Bellheim. In 1996 he once more played the main role in a Wolfgang Menge series, again based on an idea by Johnny Speight
Johnny Speight
Johnny Speight , was a British television scriptwriter of many classic British sitcoms.He emerged in the mid 1950s. He wrote for the radio comics; Frankie Howerd, Vic Oliver, Arthur Askey, and Cyril Fletcher. For television he wrote for the Arthur Haynes Show, Morecambe & Wise, and Peter Sellers...
, as Viktor Bölkhoff in Mit einem Bein im Grab. (One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave is a BBC television sitcom series written by David Renwick. The show ran for six series, including seven Christmas specials, two Comic Relief specials, over an eleven year period, from early 1990 to late 2000...
.)
As well as his acting career, Schubert also loved photography. He is especially well-known for his many photographs of shop windows and mennequins; this work was on show at the documenta
Documenta
documenta is an exhibition of modern and contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. It was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau which took place in Kassel at that time...
6 in Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
in 1977. In 1979 he published a book of these photographs, Theater im Schaufenster ("Theatre in the Shop Window").
Heinz Schubert received several awards, including the Goldene Kamera (1993) and the Adolf Grimme Award (1994). He died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
on 12 February 1999 in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, where he had acted for many years.
Selected filmography
- Das FeuerzeugThe Tinder Box (film)The Tinder Box is an East German fantasy film directed by Siegfried Hartmann. It was released in 1958.-Cast:* Rolf Ludwig as Der Soldat / The Soldier* Heinz Schubert as Der Geizige / The Miser* Rolf Defrank as Der Eitle / The Vain Man...
(1958) - Mutter Courage (as Schweizerkas, 1961)
- Auf der SonnenseiteOn the Sunny Side (film)On the Sunny Side is an East German musical comedy film, directed by Ralf Kirsten and starring Manfred Krug. It was released in 1962.-Plot:...
(1962) - Doktor Murkes gesammeltes Schweigen (1964)
- Funeral in BerlinFuneral in Berlin (film)Funeral in Berlin is a 1966 British spy film based on the novel Funeral in Berlin by Len Deighton. It is the second of three 1960s films starring Michael Caine that followed the characters from the initial film, The Ipcress File ...
(Finale in Berlin, 1966) - Die TätowierungTattoo (1967 film)Tattoo is a 1967 West German film directed by Johannes Schaaf. The film was selected as the German entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 40th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee...
(1967) - Ein Herz und eine SeeleEin Herz und eine SeeleEin Herz und eine Seele is a German sitcom aired in 1973/74 and 1976. It was essentially a remake of the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part by Johnny Speight, and was written by Wolfgang Menge....
(1973–1976) - Kara Ben NemsiKara Ben NemsiKara Ben Nemsi is a fictional character in the works of Karl May, best-selling 19th century German writer...
Effendi (1973) - Der Starke Ferdinand (1976)
- Zwei himmlische Töchter (1978)
- Hitler – Ein Film aus Deutschland (1978)
- Obszön – Der Fall Peter Herzel (1981)
- Feine Gesellschaft – beschränkte Hoffnung (1981)
- Konrad oder das Kind aus der Konservenbüchse (1982)
- Detektivbüro Roth (1986)
- Stein und Bein (1991)
- Der große Bellheim (1993)
- TatortTatortTatort is a long-running German/Austrian/Swiss , crime television series set in various parts of these countries. The show is broadcast on the channels of ARD in Germany, ORF 2 in Austria and SF1 in Switzerland...
- Deserteure (1993) - Zwei alte Hasen (1994)
- Mit einem Bein im Grab (1996)
- Hundert Jahre Brecht (1998)
- Silberdisteln (1998)
- Der Vulkan (1999)